“We understand the motive for this provocation. Today Russian military representatives started shooting at Ukrainian servicemen. This is a war crime,’‘ he said.

Prime Minister Yatsenyuk also claimed the conflict had entered a military phase and called for international talks to prevent a further escalation.

From Simferopol euronews Sergio Cantone said: “The tension in Crimea is mounting and it’s increasingly becoming a dangerous game. Some are already saying there’s been a shift, from the political phase, to something else, certainly more muscular in nature anyway.”